Play Away Christmas Special (1980) - near-full episode

Or, S10E8, if you prefer. The 12th Play Away on my channel, and a Christmas special at that, though I'm afraid the opening is cut off. Never mind, though, because this one has the fun levels dialled up to maximum as Brian Cant, Floella Benjamin, Delia Morgan and Alex Norton sing, dance, laugh, joke and magic their way through this episode which was originally broadcast on Saturday, 27th December, 1980. Amongst all the fun, there's an excellent spoonerism skit to listen out for, while Brian performs a trick of sorts that's really an object lesson in forcing a card. Sort of. There are a couple of slower bits that disrupt the pacing a bit, but either way, I really did enjoy this.

Watching it back, two things in particular spring to mind which I'd like to draw to your attention:
1) Is that a 12-year-old Mel Giedroyc in the audience, front and centre, at 0:35? I'm not basing this on anything other than it looking like her, and I know how unlikely it is, but, my word, it really looks like it's her.
2) Without spoiling the surprise, the joke they use to get into the end song is a truly award-winning pun of epic proportions.

Anyway, besides the main cast, Mark Robertson makes a guest appearance - he went on to become a renowned juggler throughout the 80s, appearing alongside the likes of Paul Daniels, and here he briefly hints at what was to come in his impressive act that also includes yo-yo and stick work. I'm sorry to say that Mark died suddenly, tragically young, back in 1992.

It's worth mentioning that the Play Away band - Jonathan Cohen, Dill Katz and John Hayman - are also credited by name and with close-ups at the end of this one. That wasn't always the case. I'm sure many people remember Jonathan from his other children's TV appearances, such as on Music Time and a handful of full-on educational shows. Searching YouTube for "Dill Katz bass" and "John Hayman drummer" brings up a few relatively recent vids of interest - Dill seems to be in a jazz band, while John is now based in Florida and performing with Les Blachut. I sincerely hope they're all doing well for themselves.

Many thanks to Lee for providing this recording.

(This is a transfer from an old videotape, so please don't expect full HD quality. To the best of my knowledge, this material is not available commercially anywhere in the world, and has been uploaded for its historic interest. That said, if you are a copyright holder and object, please don't hesitate to contact me.)